“Part of my Favorite Story…”–Disney Day 1

We’ve been wanting to plan a trip to Disney since the “New Fantasyland” opened the beginning of December. We had tossed around the idea of going early Spring before the crowds picked up, but DW came into a little cash after he won his Fantasy Football league again this year, so we got to do a little sooner than we’d hoped! :)

I messaged my Disney-loving friends Mandi & Charon (whose families have stayed at lots of the different Disney resorts) for their opinions on which resort to stay at. After weighing all the options within budget, DW & I had it narrowed down to Port Orleans and Coronado Springs and since we’ve stayed at Port Orleans before we decided to try something different and go with C.S.

DW took the day off on Friday and we loaded the girls up still asleep in their jammies at 6:00 headed for the turnpike!

We had planned to go to the resort to just get our parking pass, but when DW went to get it, the front desk let us go ahead and check into our room! So nice, for getting the girls changed into their Disney outfits!

I’d seen the cutest ruffle skirt and Minnie mouse t-shirt set on Etsy, but it was $50.00 for the set. I figured I could make it, so I gave it a shot. Of course I had my mom come over and help me get started on it though… and let me say, while ruffles are darling, they aren’t very fun to sew on. It would have cost $100.00 to get both the girls a set and I did it for $17.00 TOTAL. But, after sewing the skirts, I know why the seller had them listed for $50.00. The T-shirts were a breeze to make, but the skirts about did me in. They did turn out really cute, though…

We headed to Magic Kingdom and got there right after they opened at 9:00.

It was “Long Lost Friends Week” at MK and I was so hoping we’d run into some of the old characters… and we DID! The Three Little Pigs & The Big Bad Wolf… AB called everything “THE BIG BAD WOLF” last year in the most hilarious deep voice, so she was a little excited to see him, too! (I was worried she might be scared of him!)

We headed straight for the New Fantasyland because we knew it would be the most crowded part…and it was. The new “Enchanted Tales with Belle” already had a 75 minute wait! We opted to try that again later and went for the “Adventures of the Little Mermaid” ride.

The wait said 20 minutes, but we walked right on! It was adorable. We boarded our pink clam shell and rode through the story. It was so sweet and AB loved it!

We visited Ariel at her grotto after the ride for pictures and her autograph.

We did the teacups after that, which AB loved this time! Mamie thought she was big stuff, too, getting to ride the rides.

They’re still working on part of the New Fantasyland, so there’s fence still up in places, but here’s DW & AB with Tangled’s tower in the background…

Next up, we headed for the Storybook Circus…Mamie held on for the ride!

First, we rode the Barnstormer… (Goofy’s new kid-sized rollercoaster). AB rode with her Daddy first and then we did the parent switch and she got to ride with me, too.

Mames loved just watching and taking it all in.

The Storybook Circus has a little splash park in it, that would be so fun in the summer. The train cars are so cute, too.

Under the big top, is Pete’s Silly Sideshow, where you can choose a line to meet Daisy & Minnie or Donald & Goofy. We did both…

Mamie loved seeing all the characters! It was so sweet. While waiting in line, once she caught a glimpse of them, she’d start laughing and then grunting VERY LOUD trying to get their attention! She was SO excited to see them all, but especially Mickey & Minnie!

 

 

Outside of the big top, we ran into Pluto… which was fun for AB because she’s never seen him before…

& Marie (from the Aristocats).

The next ride we did was Dumbo, which has changed a little from the old one, but is still just as sweet.

They actually have two of them now. DW & AB rode in front of me & Mames.

We also rode “The many adventures of Winnie the pooh” in fantasyland.

We hadn’t ridden that one before, so its always fun to do something new together!

self-pic of the family aboard our honey-pot!

Of course the classics are always fun, too, though! Mamie girl was asleep for “It’s a Small World,” but we can still say she’s done it. :)

The last ride in Fantasyland we rode was Prince Charming’s Carousel…

After a full morning, it was time for a break…so, we got some lunch at Cosmic Rays…

After our little break, since we were close to Tomorrowland, we decided to do the People Mover. Mamie thought she was such a big girl getting to sit on the seat and not in our laps! She loved it!

We headed back to Mainstreet so AB could do a little shopping and then we could watch the street party parade…

AB’s shopping didn’t take long- she picked out a new charm for her bracelet. (We bought it for her on her first trip, and we add a charm each time…) All afternoon, I watched as she admired the new one she chose for this trip… (a heart shaped picture of Ariel)

 

Adventureland was up next… A Dole Pineapple Whip was a must for a snack first and it lived up to it’s reputation! Then DW & AB rode Aladdin’s magic carpets

while Mames and I saved us a spot for the parade.

The parade was a sweet as always.

 

Its my favorite…it’s always got tons of the characters and we’ve always had the best luck with them coming right up to us…

I had to use my phone for pics during the parade, because we were so close together that I couldn’t use our big camera, so I missed some of them.. :(  Next time, I’ll remember to switch to a smaller lens. 

After the parade, we made our way out to the bus back to our resort. The ride back on the bus may have been as exciting as the rides at the park for Mamie! She was loving not being in a car seat!

After a pack-n-play fiasco, we got Mames laid down for a nap (The room worked out perfect for us, because it had a large vanity/dressing area with doors that closed, so we used that for Mamie’s room. :)

Magic Kingdom was only open until 9:00 that night, so we knew we didn’t want to have to waste time getting dinner in the park, so we just got room service at the hotel and ate in the room while Mames got a late nap.

We got back to MK around 7:00…

We headed straight for the “Enchanted Tales with Belle”…

The wait was only about 20 minutes and it was so adorable!!! DW and AB both got picked for “parts” during the story.

DW was a knight and AB was dancing silverware. I thought I was going to have to make sure Belle knew that DW was a MARRIED knight! Ha…

After the “story” is acted out, the cast gets called to the front of the ballroom to be introduced and Belle gives them a “thank you gift” for being part of the cast… it’s a bookmark that says, “You’ll always be part of my favorite story.” Is that the sweetest wording? Precious. When the announced Annabelle, Belle oohed and ahhed over how beautiful her dress was and told her she was her twin. It was adorable.

We knew we’d miss part of the fireworks while we were with Belle, but we couldn’t have timed it more perfectly- when we came out of Belle’s, the fireworks were just getting ready for the big finale- so we got to see them from right in the middle of all the castles… Belle’s, Cinderella's and over Ariel’s! It could not have been any better! We even made it in time to hear Jimney Cricket talking about wishing on stars and believing while the song “Star light star bright” is playing in the background… I cry EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Of course no trip to Disney would be complete without a visit with the Mouse…

Mames was beside herself when she saw him…

It was finally our turn and she was so cute with Mickey- she reached out and gently rubbed his face (I was really proud, because she’s not usually the most gentle baby girl) – it was the sweetest little rub and then she leaned her head forward (she does this little head-butt thing (that’s usually soft, but sometimes not when she’s “loving” on someone/something and it was so cute to see her do it to Mickey…THEN out of no where, she gives him the tiniest little lick on the end of his nose. I died. It was gross, but also hilarious and even sweet at the same time. She just loved him so much!

Our next stop was to see the princesses. Our own two princesses were moments away from turning into pumpkins, but AB found enough energy to visit with a few of her favorites… while Mames and I waited outside! :)

AB talked hair with Tangled… and of course asked where Pascal was! (He was back at the castle with Eugene)

She hugged Princess Aurora…

and made a little time for a visit with Cinderella, too!

We got back to our room, shut the blinder curtains and slept until after 8:00 the next morning!

Disney will ALWAYS (EVERY TIME we go) be “part of my favorite story.” There is no comparison to seeing the magic of it through your children’s eyes. Our memories there with Cooper are priceless – as are the ones we’ve made with Annabelle & now Maybree, too.

~amw~